Category Archives: Italy

Piecing together my Italian great-grandmother’s (huge) family

Posted on November 11, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

Well, here I am, safe and sound, back in the real world for a change, and what a genealogical experience Italy has been! This was of course the second time my father and I ventured forth  and north in search … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 US Census, Birth, Death, Emigration, Genealogy, Italy, Killed In Action, United States, War | 4 Comments

The first Ronquete

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

Up until a couple of years ago, I had always been struck by the odd-sounding last name of my grandmother’s paternal grandfather, Miguel Ronquete. This unusual, very un-Spanish surname always seemed to me rather mysterious, particularly as most of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Emigration, France, Galicia, Genealogy, Italy, Santiago de Compostela, Ships, Spain, War | Leave a comment

Understanding Passenger Lists

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

Genealogy can provide us a lot more than a mere list of names and dates plunging back endlessly into History. In an interview I recently read, a professional genealogist expressed her opinion that she prefers to investigate personal details about … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910 US Census, Death, Emigration, Engagement, Genealogy, Italy, Marriage, Ships, United States | Leave a comment

The Best Father’s Day Gift Ever: Seeing Your Father For The First Time

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

You will all remember the exciting piece of news last Christmas when, thanks to my distant cousin Anne, in England, and her cousin Michele in America, we discovered my grandfather had a younger half-sister who still lives in New York … Continue reading →

Posted in Emigration, Genealogy, Illegitimacy, Italy, Spain, United States, War | 1 Comment

Mombaruzzo, where it all started

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

The small, provincial town of Mombaruzzo lies quietly on a small hilltop at the foot of the Italian Alps, and is surrounded by dense forests and seemingly endless fields of vineyards. Once a part of the old Duchy of Monferrato, … Continue reading →

Posted in Emigration, Genealogy, Italy, United States | 2 Comments

The Family of Edgar Degas: genealogy through portraits

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

Having a painter in the family before the age of photography must have been a comfortable and convenient method of perpetuating one’s portrait into posterity. At least, that is what one can appreciate when analyzing French impressionist painter Edgar Degas‘s … Continue reading →

Posted in Famous Genealogy, France, Genealogy, Italy, Louisiana | 1 Comment

Ships in my family history

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

Ships are an essential part of any family who was compelled to emigrate before the dawn of the age of aeroplanes. Coming from a seaside town, I have always felt a close affinity with the sea, a deep-rooted feeling of … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Emigration, England, Galicia, Genealogy, Germany, Italy, Killed In Action, Ships, Spain, United States, War | 11 Comments

Titanic victim’s niece survives Concordia disaster

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

Like many of you out there, I am utterly stunned by the amazingly horrific images of the recent Costa Concordia disaster off the Island of Giglio, on the western coast of Italy. The footage showing the ship gradually listing to … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, England, Genealogy, Italy, Ships, United States | 2 Comments

Finding Aunty Rita

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

Two days ago, genealogy came to life. Less than two weeks ago, you’ll remember, I posted about a recent discovery we made, concerning my grandfather’s younger half-sister, Rita. Through a distant English cousin of mine, Anne (related to us through … Continue reading →

Posted in Birth, Death, Emigration, Genealogy, Italy, United States | 1 Comment

This year’s Christmas present: Great-Auntie Rita

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Daniel (@DSRGenealogist)

Just when you think you know almost everything about your closest relatives, WHAM, you get a brand new person to hook on the family tree, opening up a whole new branch in your ancestral garden… and who knows what else. … Continue reading →

Posted in Emigration, Italy, United States | Leave a comment